“Not only according to the results of last year … but starting from this year, our troops in all directions are constantly improving their position every day,” the president said at a meeting with commanders of military districts on Wednesday.

All tasks assigned by the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff are completed, Putin added.

The president also thanked former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for his work on building new armed forces.

The more effective the work at the front line is, the greater the chances of resolving the situation in Ukraine peacefully are, Putin continued.

“When we tried to peacefully resolve this conflict [in Ukraine], unfortunately nothing worked out … The more effectively you work on the line of contact, the more chances we have to resolve this issue peacefully.”

Putin introduced new Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov to the commanders of military districts of the country.

“Andrei Belousov has been appointed the new Minister of Defense,” Putin noted.

Belousov understands how to integrate the military economy into the general economy of the country, this is extremely important, Putin explained.

“This is due, to the fact that spending on the military is growing.”

The president also announced russia’s total defense and security spending will amount to about 8.7% of the GDP in 2024.

“In 2024, this year, our total defense and security spending will amount to about 8.7%, maybe a little more.”

Increased defense and security spending gives an impetus to the development of industries in the country, the president said.

“When increasing spending on defense and security, we proceed from the fact that all social obligations must be fulfilled to the citizens. Our national development goals must be achieved and must be achieved in all areas, including social development,” Putin continued, adding it is necessary to meet the needs of the Russian armed forces during the special military operation.

“We, all together, need to ensure the needs of the Russian armed forces to work effectively in the combat zone as part of the special military operation,” Putin said, adding that it is necessary to avoid distortions in economy and industry.

The president also said that the military needs to have more effective and accurate arms as it lowers casualties, which is a key issue for Russia.

“Without any exaggeration, we should be ready that these enterprises [defense industry], … should take additional steps in this direction at any moment, they should be ready to make even greater transition to the production of civilian products [as part of the diversification,” Putin added.

The statement was made on Wednesday by Sergey Nikiforov, who wrote on his Facebook page that the Ukrainian leader “has instructed that all international events involving him scheduled for the coming days be postponed and new dates coordinated”. He thanked Kiev’s backers for their understanding.

Zelensky was due to travel to Spain on Friday and meet with King Felipe. Later, he was expected to visit Portugal, where he was set to sign a bilateral security cooperation agreement with Lisbon.

While Nikiforov did not state the reason for the postponement of Zelensky’s travel, the move comes as the Russian Defense Ministry reported an advance in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region. On Wednesday, it claimed Moscow’s troops had captured the villages of Glubokoye and Lukyantsy, which are close to the Ukraine-Russia border.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov admitted that Kiev was facing an “extremely difficult” situation as its troops were struggling to hold ground and were outgunned by the Russian forces. Against this backdrop, he urged Ukraine’s backers to ramp up ammunition deliveries.

Ukrainian officials have long warned that they were not ready to repel a major Russian attack, complaining about delays with Western arms shipments. In April, the head of Kiev’s military intelligence, Kirill Budanov, warned that Ukraine would face serious difficulties in mid-May and early June.

Kharkov Region has frequently been used by Ukrainian forces to stage artillery and drone attacks on Russian border areas, many of which targeted residential buildings, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties. In March, Russian President Putin suggested that Moscow could “at some point” be forced to “create a certain cordon sanitaire” in Kiev-controlled territories to prevent further attacks.

The president made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua News Agency ahead of a state visit to China.

Putin said that Russia is open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but the negotiations should take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict.

“We want a comprehensive, sustainable and fair settlement of this conflict by peaceful means. And we are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but it should be a negotiation that takes into account the interests of all countries involved in this conflict, including our interests,” the president added.

Any peace settlement must also involve a substantive discussion on global stability and reliable security guarantees for Russia’s opponents and for Russia itself, he continued.

Russia has never refused to negotiate on Ukraine, Putin stressed.

“However, instead of signing a peace agreement, the Ukrainian side unexpectedly announced the termination of negotiations. As Ukrainian officials later said, this was because their Western allies urged them to continue fighting and work together to strategically defeat Russia. We have never refused to negotiate.”

Ukraine and its Western allies are not ready to engage in open and honest dialogue with Russia to end the conflict, Putin highlighted.

“Unfortunately, neither Ukraine nor its Western patrons support these initiatives,” Putin said, adding, “They are not ready to engage in an equal, honest and open dialogue based on mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests.”

Ukraine and its Western allies are reluctant to discuss the underlying causes, the very origins of the global crisis, the president continued.